Chapter 1084: Reentering Purple Cloud Palace

Chen Mobai was very surprised when he saw the second Azure Bird."There's another one?"

The previous Azure Bird had allowed him to enter the ancient Purple Cloud Palace, where he saw the Dao Venerable who had transcended this universe, as well as powerful beings suspected of being Pure Yang and Dao Integration experts.What about this one?

After flying out from the Jade Tripod Tree, the Azure Bird circled above Chen Mobai's head several times, emitting clear chirps that seemed like calls or perhaps a serenade for him.

Chen Mobai, filled with unprecedented anticipation, cautiously sent out his Second Nascent Soul to filter it first.

The Azure Bird did not resist, gracefully scattering its long feathers as it landed on the Pure Yang Pearl.

The moment the two merged, Chen Mobai felt nine scattered powers within his Nascent Soul begin to coalesce, gradually integrating into one unified core.These were the Saint King's Nine Virtues.

Although the Lesser Immortal Sect system had been promoted in the Eastern Wilderness, cultivating Saintly Virtue was not something that could be achieved merely by reaching a powerful realm. It required subtle and pervasive influence, grace, and authority to earn the genuine recognition of all beings.

Chen Mobai had been in the Celestial River Realm for so many years, and with his diligent disciple Jiang Zongheng, he had only managed to raise the progress bar for the "Surveying Nine Virtues" realm to 78%.

He had originally thought that he would only be able to truly complete and condense the Saintly Virtue Dao Seed after achieving Soul Transformation. He never expected such an opportunity to arise during this very transformation.

After the second Azure Bird integrated, Chen Mobai's progress in Surveying Nine Virtues continuously increased at a visible rate, quickly reaching 100% completion.

A gentle clear light shone within the Second Nascent Soul, and then the Yuan Yang Sword flew out on its own accord. Strands of golden light illuminated its blade. The front of the blade transformed into beautiful mountains and rivers, representing the civilized world, while the reverse depicted slash-and-burn farming, agriculture, sericulture, fishing, and hunting.

This was the Dao of Saintly Virtue that Chen Mobai cultivated.The front represented the Immortal Sect, and the back represented the Celestial River Realm. Today, however, they merged within the sword, forming a Dao unique to Chen Mobai!

It was at this very moment that Chen Mobai realized Saintly Virtue could be cultivated in this way!

It wasn't that the Azure Bird's integration helped him complete the Saint King's Nine Virtues; rather, the Azure Bird guided him to use the Saintly Virtue cultivated on the Immortal Sect side to complement the missing 22% from the Celestial River Realm.

The Great Dao is one, ancient and eternal.The Saintly Virtue of the Immortal Sect is Dao, and the Saintly Virtue of the Celestial River Realm is also Dao.

However, Chen Mobai had always thought he was only cultivating Saintly Virtue in the Celestial River Realm, believing that practicing it on the Immortal Sect side would be redundant. Thus, he had never surveyed the Nine Virtues on the Immortal Sect side, never realizing that the two could complement each other.

Among the Saint King's Nine Virtues, his lowest progress in the Celestial River Realm was for "Bi" (Comparison/Counsel), which required him to accept advice and unite the wisdom of the masses.

But in the Celestial River Realm, almost no one dared to point fingers or criticize him.

This meant that even if he showed great magnanimity and actively encouraged his subordinates to offer more suggestions, no one dared to do so.

The Immortal Sect side was different; with its open atmosphere, even a Soul Transformation ancestor might be criticized.

As the most talented person in the Immortal Sect throughout history, Chen Mobai still had people who found fault, believing he wasn't good enough and that while strong in cultivation, he still needed to practice the myriad arts of immortal cultivation.

From Qi Condensation to his current Soul Transformation, Chen Mobai had steadily climbed to the peak of the Immortal Sect, causing the once critical beings of the Immortal Sect to begin accepting him.

His comprehensive development in artifact refining, talismans, formations, and other arts also made the discerning people of the Immortal Sect feel that he had listened to their advice and began to make up for his shortcomings.

Therefore, on the Immortal Sect side, his "Bi" among the Saint King's Nine Virtues had long since reached perfection.

However, the ability to merge the Saintly Virtue cultivated in both realms was also thanks to the Yuan Yang Sword!

Within the Pure Yang Set, the sword was the vessel that carried Saintly Virtue.

This top-tier flying sword of the Immortal Sect, whose previous owner, Patriarch Yuanyang, was the most accomplished person in Saintly Virtue throughout the Immortal Sect's history, gradually acquired the Saintly Virtue Chen Mobai cultivated in the Celestial River Realm after coming into his possession.

Using it as a hub, the Saintly Virtues of both realms merged, bringing Chen Mobai's Surveying Nine Virtues to completion.

And at this moment, a Dao Seed, gleaming with clear light and faintly imbued with golden radiance, condensed and emerged within Chen Mobai's Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.The Saintly Virtue Dao Seed!

The moment this Dao Seed condensed, Chen Mobai felt his Phoenix Rising to the Sun Diagram advance to the Grand Perfection realm.

The bottleneck of his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness was breached in an instant, breaking through to the mid-Soul Transformation stage.

His already very powerful divine sense also began to slowly rise at this time. Chen Mobai estimated, using the Crown of Heaven and Earth's Sentient Beings, that at this rate, his divine sense could increase by two to three times, precisely reaching the peak of the early Soul Transformation stage.

Anyone else would certainly be very satisfied with this, but Chen Mobai was different.

He felt he could use this opportunity to directly raise his divine sense to the mid-Soul Transformation realm.

Because he still had half of the Sacred Spirit Penetrating Pill's medicinal power unused.

At some point, the Second Nascent Soul had transformed back into the Pure Yang Pearl, merging into his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, like a dazzling rising sun, radiating endless light and helping him fully activate and integrate the Sacred Spirit Penetrating Pill's medicinal power into his main Nascent Soul.

His divine sense, which was already continuously increasing due to the completion of the Phoenix Rising to the Sun Diagram, advanced by leaps and bounds under the effect of the medicine.

But no matter how much his divine sense surged, Chen Mobai could always easily control it with the Saintly Virtue Dao Seed.

This Great Dao of Saintly Virtue represented karmic luck!

A person of Saintly Virtue was one with great karmic luck.

Therefore, risks like qi deviation would not occur to him.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Chen Mobai finally felt his divine sense cross the boundary, advancing to the mid-Soul Transformation stage. And at precisely this moment, the Sacred Spirit Penetrating Pill's medicinal power was exhausted.

For others, a breakthrough did not necessarily mean a stable realm.Especially in cases of forced breakthroughs using medicinal power, the vast majority would regress and fall back.

However, Chen Mobai had just mastered the Great Dao of Pure Yang!

His main Nascent Soul once again transformed into an Azure Bird, releasing fragments of Pure Yang Dao power.

His vast divine sense, which had just broken through and was still somewhat unstable, instantly became stable at this moment, as if Chen Mobai had cultivated it diligently for hundreds of years.

However, this was merely an illusion. Although the Great Dao of Pure Yang could prevent him from ever regressing, it would not grant him the proficiency that the Great Dao of Time would.

Therefore, when he circulated his vast divine sense, it still felt somewhat sluggish and unfamiliar.

But these were minor issues; the realm was already attained, and he could slowly refine it in the future.

For Chen Mobai, who possessed the Great Dao of Pure Yang, he wished he could immediately advance to Void Refinement.

However, while he couldn't advance to Void Refinement, elevating his Second Nascent Soul by another minor realm was not a problem.

The Pure Yang Pearl, the true form of his Second Nascent Soul, was formerly the Fire Origin Core of the Mother Empress, containing the innate Fire Origin spiritual energy of a peak Soul Transformation expert. Chen Mobai had previously estimated, using the Crown of Heaven and Earth's Sentient Beings, that after fully refining it into innate Pure Yang Qi, it would grant his Second Nascent Soul the power of a mid-Soul Transformation peak.

And clearly, his calculations were perfectly accurate.

After his mid-Soul Transformation divine sense took control, the remaining large portion of innate Fire Origin spiritual energy within the Pure Yang Pearl's core immediately began to melt like ice and snow, transforming from crimson into dazzling golden innate Pure Yang Qi.

This process would last for a considerable period, mainly because Chen Mobai was not entirely adept at controlling his rapidly expanding divine sense. However, due to the great karmic luck blessing of Saintly Virtue and the never-regressing Great Dao of Pure Yang, there was no need to worry about failure.

He observed the Pure Yang Pearl for a while, confirmed it was on the right track, and then left it to its own devices.

With a wave of his hand, the Yuan Yang Sword, which had been suspended nearby, fell into his palm.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing the Great Dao upon me!"

The fair and plump Yuan Yang Sword Spirit reappeared from the sword body, cupping its hands in salute and bowing deeply to Chen Mobai.

"Oh, you seem a bit different!"

As Chen Mobai spoke, he examined it closely and noticed that the Yuan Yang Sword Spirit now had a thick, inky mustache, and its demeanor was more mature.

"Master, I feel my spiritual intelligence has greatly increased; I might have broken through a three-thousand-year bottleneck and advanced to the sixth rank!"

The Yuan Yang Sword Spirit nodded, immediately relaying a momentous piece of good news to Chen Mobai.

He immediately extended his hand, and the Sword Spirit guided the hilt into his palm. Now, without even needing the Can Tong Qi, he could achieve unity of mind and spirit with this top-tier flying sword of the Immortal Sect, reaching a state of clear sword heart!

The moment the sword was in his hand, the Saintly Virtue Dao Seed in Chen Mobai's Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness radiated an even richer, pure, and sacred aura.

At this moment, an eternally existing, supreme Great Dao, spanning past and future, appeared before his eyes, channeled through the Yuan Yang Sword in his hand and the Saintly Virtue Dao Seed.

This was the Innate Great Dao of Saintly Virtue!

Chen Mobai had a feeling that, should he wish, he could at any time use his Nascent Soul to control the Saintly Virtue Dao Seed, entrust it to the Yuan Yang Sword in his hand, and merge it into this innate Great Dao.

Cultivation after Soul Transformation involved drawing in and refining the power of the Great Dao.

If the method was incorrect, and the drawn-in Dao power exceeded the cultivator's refining limit, they would be assimilated by the Dao and lose their self-awareness.

The sword cultivator's method of entrusting the Nascent Soul was one such approach.

Using the sword as a treasure ship to cross the Great Dao, one could absorb the Dao through the sword, constantly testing their limits, ultimately refining the Dao power with the greatest efficiency and advancing rapidly.

At this instant, Chen Mobai comprehended all the knowledge regarding entrusting the Nascent Soul that the white light had left him.

"So it's similar to a Dao Fruit!"

After comprehending this, Chen Mobai felt that all Great Daos ultimately led to the same destination.

However, entrusting the Nascent Soul could be achieved by relying on the cultivator's own talent, whereas a Dao Fruit required a senior to have left it behind.

For Chen Mobai, this sword Dao method of entrusting the Nascent Soul was naturally of great use.

Because he didn't possess a Saintly Virtue Dao Fruit, if he had to painstakingly draw in and refine the power of the Great Dao of Saintly Virtue himself, just testing the limits would take a very long time.

With the entrusted Nascent Soul and the Yuan Yang Sword, he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Because after this baptism, the Yuan Yang Sword had become a vessel for Saintly Virtue. Chen Mobai could use it as a transfer point, or even a docking point within the Great Dao of Saintly Virtue. Moreover, with the help of the Sword Spirit, he could refine the power of the Great Dao of Saintly Virtue more easily.

"I never expected the second Azure Bird to be related to the Great Dao of Saintly Virtue!"

As he thought this, Chen Mobai looked up and rose to salute the Azure Bird still circling above his head.

Although he was very puzzled internally—Daoist Dandding clearly cultivated the Great Dao of Nirvana—Saintly Virtue was not weak either, and it was the fruit of Chen Mobai's own hundred years of diligent effort. This sublimation and condensation into a Dao Seed made him feel that his own efforts were crucial to reaching his current state.

The only thing Chen Mobai found regrettable was that this second Azure Bird did not take him back into the Purple Cloud Palace.

It seemed that for Daoist Dandding, the most important memory was merely that lecture on Ninth-Order Creation.

Just as Chen Mobai was thinking this, the Azure Bird above his head suddenly transformed into a wisp of green smoke that descended and enveloped him.

When he came to his senses, he found he was no longer in the Jade Peace Minor Realm.

Chen Mobai looked down at the Daoist robe he was wearing and the meditation cushion beneath his knees, knowing he had once again arrived at the Purple Cloud Palace.

"So, it only happens after realizing the Dao!"

"If I hadn't comprehended the Great Dao of Saintly Virtue, would I not have been brought into this illusion?"

"Junior Brother, Junior Brother..."

Just as Chen Mobai was deep in thought, a familiar voice came from the front.

"Senior Sister, please pay attention to the lecture!"

Chen Mobai wasn't familiar with the person in front, so he pretended to be diligently studying, refusing to chat with her via spiritual transmission.

"Oh..."

The female cultivator in front, wearing a green robe, replied with a slightly odd single word, and then both continued listening to the Purple-Clothed Daoist's lecture.

Chen Mobai felt that for Daoist Dandding to preserve these lectures within his Dao Fruit even after death, their content must at least be no less profound than Ninth-Order Creation.

So, from the start, he focused completely, activating the Five Musical Laws to their utmost.

Because the Phoenix Rising to the Sun Diagram was already complete, his comprehension ability this time was at its peak, almost at the limit for a human.

Chen Mobai felt a gaze momentarily fall upon him. He recalled the scene from his first visit here, realizing it was likely the Purple-Clothed Daoist giving the lecture.

He dared not look up, fearing he would be discovered as a eavesdropper and expelled by the Purple-Clothed Daoist.

After a while, the Daoist's lecturing voice continued without interruption, and Chen Mobai finally relaxed, pricking up his ears and beginning to both note down and comprehend these recondite teachings.

The content of this lecture was, surprisingly, about the Three Thousand Great Daos.

It seemed to follow up on the previous lecture about Ninth-Order Creation. It appeared the Purple-Clothed Daoist had carefully considered it after class, realizing his students' comprehension might be lacking, and so decided to elaborate in more detail.

"With the Three Thousand Great Daos as the foundation, one can create a universe. The reason I was able to master the Three Thousand Great Daos in the past was precisely because I created a universe."

"When heaven and earth first opened, if you were the first living being, these Three Thousand Great Daos would naturally be at your command."

"However, at the dawn of creation, there were many powerful innate beings born alongside the Great Dao. Some emerged as Dao Supremes, Dao Integration existences, while others, due to astonishing serendipity, could seize and devour more Great Daos, achieving the Pure Yang realm. In such cases, you would need to spend a very long time to individually subdue, control, and refine the Three Thousand Great Daos into the power of creation!"

"Creating a universe and evolving the Three Thousand Great Daos – this is how I achieved creation and attained eternity."

"As for you all, your cultivation has reached the pinnacle of this universe. If you wish to transcend and attain eternal Dao, you may use my method, or you may try to forge your own new path to eternity. You all possess this potential."

Towards the end of the lecture, the Purple-Clothed Daoist spoke to the seven students seated in the first row. Upon hearing him, they all bowed deeply in solemn reverence.

"Thank you, Teacher, for imparting the Dao!"

After the first row, all other beings in the hall who were attending the lecture also followed suit, bowing deeply.

Chen Mobai naturally went with the flow, even being among the quickest to do so.

"Alright, this is my last lecture here. Afterward, I will be leaving this universe. If you have any remaining questions, I will answer them all today."

The Purple-Clothed Daoist waved his hand, and everyone in the hall instinctively rose.

Hearing this, Chen Mobai's face clouded with worry.

If he wasn't mistaken, he was currently occupying the identity of Daoist Dandding, but he had actually slipped in to eavesdrop, thus possessing independent consciousness.

He desperately wanted to ask the Purple-Clothed Daoist before him for guidance, but his realm was too low. He feared that any question he asked would be too naive, inviting ridicule from his classmates in the hall while simultaneously exposing his true identity.

These were the strongest beings in this universe. Chen Mobai was deeply afraid that even within Daoist Dandding's illusion, they might still be able to sense a change in this past scene and thus pinpoint his location.

At this thought, Chen Mobai decided it was better to pretend to be a poor student and not ask any questions.

"I know each of you has many questions. To avoid delaying my departure, let's limit each person to one question."

Just as Chen Mobai decided to painfully give up the opportunity to ask a question, the Purple-Clothed Daoist, seated on the green lotus, suddenly spoke these words.

"Teacher, could we ask two more questions?"

The female cultivator in a blue robe, seated on a turtle in the first row, couldn't help but plead.

But the Purple-Clothed Daoist shook his head, then pointed to the first person on the left in the first row.

"Yi Xing, you go first!"

The silver-haired Daoist nodded gently, then asked, "Teacher, can my Great Dao attain eternity?"

As soon as this question was asked, everyone's eyes lit up.

As expected, the Purple-Clothed Daoist's brows furrowed slightly, as if he had encountered a difficult problem. After a long moment, he sighed and gently shook his head: "No!"

At these words, the silver-haired Daoist's face immediately turned pale, and the brilliant starry river chessboard above his head began to disintegrate, as if his Dao heart had shattered.

"Teacher, why can't Senior Brother Yi Xing attain eternity?" At this moment, the second young man in gray continued the previous question.

The Purple-Clothed Daoist replied: "Because I am merely eternal myself, I can only see what is below eternity, and cannot see through beings of the same realm. But at least, I have not seen a future where Yi Xing attains eternity!"

Upon hearing the Daoist's words, everyone began to murmur among themselves.

However, this at least proved one thing: the Teacher had indeed reached the Eternal realm.

Next was the black-robed, white-haired youth, but he asked his question via spiritual transmission, seemingly not wanting others to know what he was asking.

The Purple-Clothed Daoist also replied via spiritual transmission.

Chen Mobai saw the black-robed, white-haired youth sit down with a furrowed brow after asking his question.

Next were the True Dragon and Phoenix, who also used spiritual transmission.

"Teacher, I wish to create a universe and wield the Three Thousand Great Daos. Please impart to me the method of creation and the power of genesis!"

The last female cultivator in a blue robe, seated on a turtle, said these words openly in front of everyone.

"Granted!"

Upon hearing this, the Purple-Clothed Daoist did not hesitate. He smiled and nodded, then took a lotus seed from the green lotus beneath him.

The lotus seed bloomed, transforming into an ancient, rustic gate.

"This is the Gate of Grand Void. After I depart, this item will be yours. The method for creating a universe and evolving the Three Thousand Great Daos is also contained within it!"

Under the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd, the blue-robed female cultivator respectfully rose from the turtle, walked before the Purple-Clothed Daoist, and received the Gate of Grand Void with both hands.

"Teacher, I also wish for such a method!"

The red-haired youth, the first on the left in the second row, also spoke up, requesting the method of universe creation.

However, the Purple-Clothed Daoist shook his head, refusing him: "This method only works in conjunction with the Gate of Grand Void. If you desire it, wait until she has created her universe, then you may borrow it from her!"

Hearing the Purple-Clothed Daoist's words, everyone's gazes toward the blue-robed female cultivator became even more fervent.

...After each student in the second row had asked their question, it was finally the turn of the person in front of Chen Mobai. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Teacher, can I achieve Dao Integration?"

"Yes!"

The Purple-Clothed Daoist merely spoke a single word, and instantly, everyone's gaze turned to the green-robed female cultivator. The two people beside her immediately offered their congratulations.

"Senior Sister Wangji, please don't forget us in the future."

"Junior Sister, after achieving Dao Integration, please impart your insights to me."

Hearing the others' address for the female cultivator in front of him, Chen Mobai's expression suddenly dawned on him.

It was indeed Dao Lord Wangji.

Daoist Dandding's best friend.

He never expected their friendship to stem from being seated front and back.

At this point, Chen Mobai also confirmed the identity of his current position: he must be their lineage's Patriarch, Daoist Dandding.

Soon, it was his turn to ask from the third row.

Chen Mobai no longer hesitated at this moment; he directly transmitted his question to the Purple-Clothed Daoist.

After all, many others in the hall were doing the same.

To avoid exposing himself, the question he asked was not beyond scope; he even imagined himself in Daoist Dandding's shoes: "Teacher, this disciple wishes to ask for the method to cultivate the Pure Yang Scroll to the Pure Yang realm!"

Chen Mobai hadn't forgotten that the Pure Yang Scroll cultivated by Daoist Dandding could only reach the Dao Integration realm at most.

Since this cultivation method was passed down by Dao Venerable Zixiao, and he was a transcendent, eternal existence, there must surely be chapters beyond the Dao Integration realm.

Actually, Chen Mobai had originally wanted to ask for the method to cultivate the Pure Yang Scroll directly to Ninth-Order Creation in one go!

But the red-haired youth in the second row had just set an example: Ninth-Order Creation could only be achieved by creating a universe in conjunction with the Gate of Grand Void, and the Purple-Clothed Daoist did not transmit that.

So he lowered his request.

After transmitting his question, Chen Mobai noticed that the Purple-Clothed Daoist did not reply immediately, but instead fell into an eerie silence.

The people in the hall also found it strange at this moment.

After all, the Purple-Clothed Daoist had been very quick to answer everyone, as if hurrying to finish class.

But with Daoist Dandding, he was stuck for such a long time.

Chen Mobai also felt something was off at this moment.

He immediately thought that his question might have conflicted with the original Daoist Dandding's question, causing Dao Venerable Zixiao, an eternal being, to experience a "lag."

Just as sweat subtly beaded on his forehead and he was wondering how to explain, the Daoist's voice resounded in his ear: "Granted!"

As this single word fell, Chen Mobai immediately let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Then, a golden light emanated from the Purple-Clothed Daoist's fingertip and tapped his glabella.

The chapters of the Pure Yang Scroll, from Dao Integration to the Pure Yang realm, began to emerge in Chen Mobai's mind.

Upon seeing this, Chen Mobai knew that Dao Venerable Zixiao must have known his identity.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have just imparted this chapter; he clearly knew that Chen Mobai already possessed the content before Dao Integration.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

After receiving the Dharma, Chen Mobai sincerely cupped his hands in salute, prostrated himself on the meditation cushion, and bowed deeply to the Purple-Clothed Daoist.

And at this moment, everything around him, just like before, gradually began to turn into smoke.

The moment Chen Mobai looked up, he saw the green-robed female cultivator in front turn around. Unfortunately, she, along with all the surrounding beings, had already transformed into mist and dissipated before his eyes.

However, Chen Mobai had already remembered her.

Dao Lord Wangji, who established the White Crane Daoist Temple!

Also Daoist Dandding's best friend.

In the future, if there was an opportunity, he would see if he could rescue her. After all, according to Patriarch Yun Ya's notes, Dao Lord Wangji was suppressed by the Demon Lord's avatar during the Calamity of the Demon Lord.

And Dao Lords exist concurrently with the Great Dao, so Dao Lord Wangji should still be alive.

Chen Mobai felt that since he had received such a great opportunity left by Daoist Dandding, it was necessary for him to inherit his karma.

Moreover, as a disciple of the Dao Venerable, he was certainly irreconcilable with the Demon Lord.

As his thoughts raced, the surrounding smoke dissipated, and he found himself back in the Jade Peace Minor Realm.

Chen Mobai rose and saluted the Azure Bird, which had finally transformed into a stream of light. It shimmered and re-merged into the Jade Tripod Tree.

"The Ancestral Master has three Azure Bird Dharma Idols, and only two have appeared so far..."

At this moment, Chen Mobai looked at the Jade Tripod Tree, feeling a touch of insatiable greed.

As if sensing his thoughts, the Jade Tripod Tree radiated an even more lustrous jade-colored light, and then a third, even more magnificent Azure Bird flew out.

Chen Mobai was overjoyed, actively sending out his main Nascent Soul to approach it.

With a look of anticipation on his face, his Nascent Soul touched the third Azure Bird!

In an instant, he felt his divine sense rapidly deplete, and even his main Nascent Soul began to become illusory and unstable.

Chen Mobai's face registered alarm; he immediately controlled his Nascent Soul to separate from the third Azure Bird.

After a phoenix cry, the third Azure Bird circled him twice, then flew back and re-merged into the Jade Tripod Tree.

Once Chen Mobai used the power of the Great Dao of Pure Yang to stabilize his main Nascent Soul, he understood why this happened.

This meant his foundation was insufficient; he could only receive the inheritance of two Azure Birds at most.

"The most talented person in the Immortal Sect throughout history, it seems, is still not enough!"

"One needs to be the best in the universe!"